We all want to feel good, every day and all day. Our body and mind continually strive to create and maintain a balance that leaves us feeling energized, motivated and content. Even though acupuncture has been around for centuries and the benefits of acupuncture well-researched, it doesn’t always come to mind as a method for achieving and maintaining good health.

Here are some common – and a couple not so well known – ways that acupuncture can help you reach your health goals.

1. Acupuncture Can Help You De-StressWe all encounter stress in our daily lives: driving, working, rushing, not sleeping enough, interacting with other stressed people, etc. Our bodies have a great system to deal with stress that is short-lived; our fight-or-flight response enables us to navigate quickly through a situation and bring us back to a relaxed state. However, living in a constant state of stress can be debilitating. A boss or co-worker that causes you grief, worry over the health of a family member, burning the midnight oil: these can all deplete cortisol (the stress hormone), increase your blood pressure, and suppress your immune system, leaving you to fall further into imbalance.

One of the goals of acupuncture is to promote the “free flow of Qi”, which means to circulate your energy smoothly. Stress, anxiety, depression or any strong emotion can interrupt this flow, causing blockages that manifest as pain in the upper back, shoulders and neck, tightness in the chest, headaches, and even digestive upset, to name a few common conditions.Acupuncture effectively removes these energy blockages – to help energy flow smoothly and alleviate not only the symptoms of stress and anxiety, but the stress and anxiety itself. The calming nature of acupuncture also decreases heart rate, lowers blood pressure and relaxes the muscles.

2. Acupuncture Can Help You Feel EnergizedIt’s fascinating the way we respond to acupuncture. Some folks get off the table and can hardly wait to go home and lie down again. Others jump off the table ready to take on the world. Sometimes the effects don’t start to kick in until the next day, next treatment or next month. I tell my patients to listen to the body; it knows what it needs to do to restore balance. Once achieved, you’ll find your ass isn’t dragging anymore and your steps have their bounce back!

3. Acupuncture Can Help Reduce Your PainPain relief is one of the most common reasons for seeking acupuncture. There’s a boatload of research available, citing the effectiveness of acupuncture on relieving all kinds of pain: including acute injury, to chronic pain, joint pain, muscle pain, osteoarthritis, plantar fasciitis, sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain, fibromyalgia, dysmenorrhea (painful periods) and headaches. Depending on the cause and nature of your pain, you may experience relief in just a few sessions. Ask me for research articles if you’re interested in learning more.

4. Acupuncture Can Help You Poop BetterTired of the discomfort of having to go but can’t? Or worse, having to go but can’t get there fast enough? Dreading the sharts? Hemorrhoids? While your food choices and sensitivities certainly play a role in the quality and quantity of your movements, it’s not always just about the food. GI syndromes that are aggravated by food can benefit from regular acupuncture and Chinese herbs to alleviate symptoms while addressing the root cause.

5. Acupuncture Can Help Increase Your MojoThere are many factors that can contribute to a less than satisfactory experience in the bedroom, including stress, side-effects of medication, hormonal imbalances and physical responses such as pain. Whether we are working with low libido, sexual dysfunction or increasing your fertility factors, acupuncture and Chinese herbs can be used to alter biochemical and physiological conditions to bring you back to prime sexual health. Yeah baby, yeah!6. Acupuncture Can Help You Sleep BetterI heard two people on the weekend say, “Sleep is the most important thing for me”. Getting enough quality sleep is vital not only to our ability to function well on any given day – but also to the healing process, much of which happens during deep sleep. Chinese medicine distinguishes from over a dozen patterns of sleep dysfunction, and encompasses insomnia, somnolence, dream-disturbances, and waking often or early. Whether your sleep issues are causing other symptoms, or other health concerns are contributing to your sleep disorder, acupuncture can get you back in the ZZZZZone.

7. Acupuncture Can Help Alleviate Perimenopause SymptomsDamn those hot flashes! As we move into this phase of life, our hormone levels change and decline, causing disruptions to sleep, thermos-regulation, body shape and overall sense of self. Acupuncture can reduce the severity of your symptoms as your body adjusts to a new way of being.

Whether you’re curious and want to try something new, or a seasoned pro, acupuncture can give you a poke in the right direction. Are you ready to live your life?